Anyways, I tried out this recipe that Courtney showed me to make beer jell-o shots for St. Patricks Day. They turned out really well and were surprisingly very easy to make. I used Harp as the ale - but it would work with just about anything. They tasted pretty great too. You can add whiskey for an extra kick. It was nice to be able to do several and enjoy the flavor without the fear of getting too wasted from the traditional vodka kinda.
Make some beer jello shots for your next party and let me know how it goes in the comments.
I have officially gone out drinking enough times in San Diego to make this post worth it:
My Go To: Maloney's Tavern It is like Cheer's and there are great quotes on the walls. They also show movie clips then transition into songs that are just a little terrible, i.e. Cliffhanger clip where the chick falls into the song Free Fallin' by Tom Petty.
Also Awesome: Bareback Grill they have board games on each table and had live music the night I went. They also have this wheel of death thing - you pay $4 and get whatever drink(s) the wheel lands on. Everything from mini pitchers of beer to shots for the opposite sex. Great burgers too!
Chicks and Bros: FleetWood This is defs a night club. Charged a cover (Scotty paid for me). They have a hip-hop room which has a DJ spinning old skool jams and the newest chart toppers - lots of dancing. It was fun but loud and crazy. Lots of bros and drunk as a skunk chicks. Not exactly my scene but it was nice to get out of my laid back box.
The fifth and final part of my Cocktail Hour series has arrived! I will be focusing on flavor, flair and more.
Flavor: There are lots of mixers out there and I am sure you know the usual suspects (like Cola, Fruit Juices and Tonics etc). But there is an emerging market of cocktail mixers which take out the guess work and are quite nifty. There are a variety of flavors like watermelon, passion fruit, grapefruit and apple. You can use them for martinis, margaritas and a variety of other drinks. Don't let the bottle dictate use. Experiment!
Here is an example:
Another flavor that is essential for many classy cocktails is simple syrup. It is way easy to make and you can keep it in a squirt bottle for easy use and storage. Recipe: 2 1/2 cups sugar Full 1 cup water 1/2 lemon, juiced -Combine all 3 ingredients in a nonreactive 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. All the sugar crystals should completely dissolve. Remove from the heat and pour into a clean medium-size bowl. Let cool completely before using. If you are short on time, you can cool the syrup over an ice bath. Simple syrup can be stored in the refrigerator, indefinitely, if kept in an airtight container. - (borrowed from foodnetwork.com) This can be infused with other flavors as well if you want to get crazy.
Flair Garnishes can really be the crowning touch on a really elegant cocktail. It is more than just drinking if you jazz things up with a fancy garnish.
Essentials: Lemon twists, lime wheels, orange wedges, olives, cherries, apple slices, pineapple spikes, and rimmers.
Here are a couple useful videos for getting your garnish just right:
I encourage you to YouTubez tips on creating the perfect bar garnishes. There are about a billion and a half videos that are extremely useful. Thank you internets.
More on Rimmers Margaritas, some martinis and many other cocktails call for the glass to be rimmed. This is when you wet the edge of the glass (with liquor, rind oils, fruit juice, water, whatever) and dip it into sugar, salt or whatever. It is an elegant look and is a step that should not be neglected.
You can buy your own rimmer set, like this one, which allows you to create your own flavored sugars, blend of salts, etc:
Or you can get premade blends of rimmers like this one from Stirrings:
And More There are a zillion other things you can add to your cocktail to really punch up the wow factor. For me, the easiest way is cocktail straws. You can get ones that match the theme of you party or go with classic red or black.
And who can forget umbrellas?!? Super fun and the only way to complete a tropical drink!
Now that you have some rules for entertaining, barware and booze - you need something to put it in.
You will need the following glasses: Martini Glass
Snifter
Highball Glass
Margarita Glass
Rocks Glass
Shot Glass
I really like simple glasses, as you can see with these examples. I like smooth clean lines and think they really let your cocktail shine.
And you should have a set of wine glasses. You can go trendy and get these stemless ones:
But I prefer these ones with stems - it seems like you can get better temperature control (if necessary for the wine you are drinking) if they have stems.
As promised, here is part two of my Cocktail Hour series of blog posts. I created a selection of bar essentials that I think are simple, elegant and necessary. I borrowed from the pamphlet list I mentioned in the last post and added in a few more things that I thought would be extra handy.
Check back for part three (spirits checklist), part four (glassware) and part five (flavor, flair and more).
At BevMo! the other day, Courtney and I picked up a couple little pamphlets with drink recipes and entertaining guidelines. I didn't read it until today but they have proven incredibly useful and interesting.
They give the following timeline for planning a cocktail party: 4 weeks prior: Send invitations 3 weeks prior: Order party accessories 2 weeks prior: Order specialty ingredients 1 week prior: Order desserts and flowers 2 days prior: Buy non-perishable items and spirits Day before: Pick up flowers and perishable ingredients (remember garnishes and ice) Morning of: Decorate house. Set table and cocktail station. Prepare apperizers and refrigerate. Hour of: Set out appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages and make your signature cocktail. During: PLEASE ENTERTAIN RESPONSIBLY
I have modified this timeline for people like me: 1 week prior: Make facebook event, invite the hell out of people, be sure to mention BYOB because you can't finance everyone's drunkenness. 1 day prior (maybe) or day of: Buy cart load of alcohol at Ralphs, biggest bag of red cups, maybe a bag a chips Hour of: Worry a little that either not enough people will show up to consume all alcohol and think oh well, more for me. OR worry that too many people will show up and your party will soar too high too fast and then think oh well, I will be drunk. During: Entertain and forget all of your responsibilities
And Now For Cocktails I am going to try: Sidecar: 1oz whiskey 2oz sweet and sour mix 1/4 oz Triple Sec Shake & serve over ice.
(Vodka)Sunset: 1.5oz Vodka 3oz Orange Juice Splash Grand Marnier Splash Lemon Lime Soda Shake & serve over ice.
(Gin) Madras 1.5oz Gin 2oz Orange Juice 2oz Cranberry Juice Serve over ice.
(Rum) Pineapple Splash 1.5oz White Rum 4oz Orange Juice Splash Grenadine Serve over ice.
Washington Apple 1oz Whiskey 1/2oz Apple Vodka 2oz Cranberry Juice Serve over ice.
(Vodka) Madras 1.5oz Vodka 3oz Cranberry Juice 1oz Orange Juice Shake & strain into champagne flute.
(Vodka) Diddy 1.5oz Vodka 3oz Lemonade Shake & strain into chilled martini glass.
There are lots more pearls of wisdom in the little pamphlets which I will share later.
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